In the mining arts, roof cable bolts are often employed to strengthen and stabilize a mine roof. Typically, after a cable bolt is installed in a drilled hole, a plate and head protrude from the hole. The top of a protruding head is normally configured for being engaged with a tool that can rotate the cable into the hole and mix resin cartridges, thereby setting the cable fast in the drilled hole.
A problem is commonly encountered in the context of coal seams that are sufficiently small as to result in low heights for mines or tunnels in the seam. Particularly, a problem of low clearances, e.g., for equipment and workers, becomes even worse. Since the head and wedges from a conventional cable bolt can protrude, e.g., 2 or 3 inches (or more) downwardly from the mine roof, a significant hazard is presented to people and equipment in the mine.
Jennmar Corporation, based in Pittsburgh, Pa., has developed a system with the following characteristics:                the use of a collared crater hole;        the use of a dust boot when drilling a collared crater hole using a special tool (see FIG. 4b) to collect dust from the cratering action; and        the use of an inverted dome crater plate with a conventional head.        
However, this arrangement involves a level of complexity that adds time and cost to the installation process (as will be more fully appreciated herebelow), including the need for a dedicated process step to form the crater hole.
A need has thus been recognized in connection with realizing bolt installation arrangements and processes that avert such complexity.